Once Lost But Never Forgotten
by CyberAngel08
Summary: A Yu-Gi-Oh GX fanfic. Jaden falls and Jesse makes a decision that may very well break a certain promise he made to a friend. Set at the end of season four. Previous Title: 'A Dark Side Resurrects'. Review Please!
1. For The Last Time?

**Angel: So I'm rewriting this chapter by chapter because I totally HATED my writing style before.**

**So to all new readers, feel free to read but I won't guarantee you that it's going to be a pretty sight-I'm not done rewriting ALL the chapters, mind you. As for returning ones, I'm glad your still sticking with this crap.**

**Anyway, there WILL be an author's note before the chapter saying 'I'm done rewriting this!' and stuff**

**I'm done rewriting this chapter so here you go!**

* * *

"Alright Darkness, You've gone too far! It's time to end this madness!" yelled a third year student of Duel Academy. He wore a black shirt with a red jacket and white pants; an outstanding student of Slifer Red, his name was Jaden Yuki.

Everyone was sent to the world of the dark, no one was left, except Jaden, the human with the spirit of a duel monster, her name was Yubel. It has been believed that every human has its fear he doesn't want to confront and just run away from it, a fear that no one could resolve and that memories were just plain rubbish and an obstacle to defying the truth, and so that was the darkness thought.

Jaden had broke this belief by calling out to his friends and telling them to remember the good times they had with each other and the card they were holding.

"Everyone, there is no need to fear, look at the card within your grasps, any card will do, let that card remind you of all the wonderful times you had together, things may come to our life that we call 'fear' but we have each other right? Those memories are where we stored all that was important, all the things that we've done together, through good times and bad times, these thing helps us remember. We can't avoid fear and we know that for a fact, but it's also the thing that helps us become strong right, and we can't be afraid for we are not alone, no matter what happens there will always be someone to support us"

And so from the world of the dark, a light shown a bright glimmer, every single one of them heard what Jaden said and broke free from their 'fear'.

Darkness wasn't expecting this to happen but, he had a plan B...

Pretending that he doesn't want his duel with Jaden to be disturbed, he moved their duel to the abandoned dorm; it was the previous dorm of the Obelisk blue that was suspected to have a dangerous research and therefore has closed it down.

**"No one will disturb our duel in here, now, let's finish what we have started!"**

**"But it seems you have little chance of winning, your field only contains Neos and Dark Panther now, if you don't finish it on this turn, my 'darkness' trap shall activate therefore dealing you damage and dropping your life points to zero".**

"He's right, this is my last draw, but no matter what happens, there will always someone there to support me." He murmured.

"My turn, draw!"

Feeling a slight defiance of silence, Jaden looked at what he drew.

It was the spell card 'Miracle Contact'.

"Deck you never failed me, and now I won't fail you and all those people who put their hopes on me to separate this world from the dark..." he breathe in slowly, thanking people and remembering pasts. With his winning smile, he raised the newly found trump card in the air.

"I activate the spell card, 'Miracle Contact'!".

"With this I can send back the 'Neo Spacians' in my grave back to my deck in order to special summon a Neos fusion monster...!"

"C'mon ultimate contact fusion!"

With a bright light appearing that seeming looked like a ray of hope; it was the very same light where the faith of many was trusted in, the very proof that everything everyone believe in never went to waste. The light pierced the wall between the two worlds. People slowly opened their eyes and embraced the light further.

Darkness could only stare.

"I fusion summon..."

"...Divine Neos! (Atk: 3000 Def: 2500) "

"And he has an effect, I select a 'Neo Spacian' and he gets his effect!" "And I select, 'Neo Spacian Flare Scarab' and his effect allows me to add points 400 times the number of spell or trap cards you have on the field." "And I'm counting you have six! And Neos now gains 2400 attack points which makes it 5400." "And I activate another effect, by removing from play all 'Neo Spacians' it gains 500 attack for each and now his attack becomes..."

"8400!" shouted Jaden as he looked at the _world_ with his victory smile.

"Divine Neos, attack!"

Neos spread his golden wings and flew in the air, letting out a warm light. Everyone in the other world soon realize how to face their fears and overcome them; spirit shone bright as one by one, people start to return to their houses, buildings, cities, schools...

Neosphere shielded his eyes from the said light, giving Jaden's monster a chance to attack. The field exploded and Darkness' life points hit zero.

"Gave over."

Slowly, the dark figure started to dissolve.

"**Be warned Jaden Yuki, I will come back..."**

"Yes but even so..." said Jaden."I'm still here to drive you away, no; it's not just me, but everyone in here who believes in faith!"

"You think this is over, boy? Well think again! We WILL meet again, and this time, you're coming with me..."

"Why would _I_ go with _you_!" our hero shouted. His heart beat was pumping fast. He had a story nagging feeling that is telling him to run. But why did he need to sprint over when all is done?

Isn't it?

"But before we could ever team up, you must first..." Okay, Jaden was a little scared. He took a step back, bumping into something. Oh that's right, there was a wall there, the entrance is blocked and this guy looks like he can murder someone with...

Oh no.

"DIE!" shouted darkness as he did his evil laugh. It echoes but no one heard. He smirked as he brought out a large amount of darkness and turned it into a sharp object.

A blade. Great.

The Slifer tried to run, but _something_ on the floor was keeping him from running, whatever it was, it _had_ to be his doing.

"**I wanted to say 'goodbye', but farewells are mere signs of another encounter so..." **he threw the pointed object, excellent aimer that he was, pierced Jaden's heart. The blade faded after taking his hit and the duelist slumped on the floor. Crimson liquid gushed out of the said wound, dripping onto the wooden boards of the former dorm. Cards scattered on the floor as Darkness turned his back.

**"See you soon,"** he laughed as he slowly vanished into the shadows.


	2. Protect Me

Jaden dropped to the floor, with blood dripping from his chest, he was about to lose consciousness when 'Winged Kuriboh', his duel monster spirit friend, came out. "Kuri kuri" he said as he gave his worry face, Jaden tried to smile. "Find Jesse, he can help…" he said as he lost consciousness.

'Winged Kuriboh' rushed to the main gate of Duel Academy where all of the students were still recovering from all that they've been through in the other world. Kuriboh went spinning around in circles, Jesse saw him, and ran.

"What's wrong Kuriboh, and where's Jaden?"

Kuriboh started floating away, Jesse knew he had to follow him and led him to the abandoned dorm.

"This is the old dorm of Obelisk Blue right?"

"Why did you bring me here Kuriboh?

And Kuriboh went floating inside, Jesse followed as different question were circling his mind like: "Where's Jaden?" "Why did Kuriboh bring me here?" "Does it have to do anything with Jaden's disappearance?" "What happen to darkness?"

These things began to come to him, he snapped out of his confusion when he saw a person lying at the middle of the underground, he rush in to see who it was. To Jesse's surprise, it was Jaden. He was covered in blood; he felt that he was still breathing as he saw a large hole on his left chest.

"Don't worry Jay, stay strong and I'll get you to Ms. Fontaine so that we could bring you to a hospital!"

Just then, a voice is heard. It was a soft, timid voice of a man. It was Jaden's.

"Don't worry about me Jess, I'm okay, Darkness *cough* cheated on his duel *cough* and now here I am, *cough* we can never make it, I'm sorry…"

"No! Don't say that! We WILL make it! I'm sure!"

"No Jesse *cough* I insist *cough* don't..."

"But Jaden..."

"Jesse if you really *cough* wanna do a favor for me, *cough* protect me from darkness..."

"What's the point Jaden...? Why do I need to do this...?"

"He is *cough* plotting something bad *cough* but I'm guessing that *cough* he will be needing me, my power... and when I'm gone... I want you... to make sure all our friends are safe..."

"Jaden, stop it don't say another word, you WON"T die and you WILL survive..."

"I'm sorry..."

"... I just ..."

"...can't..."

"NO JADEN!"

Jaden gave his final breath... and Jesse cried...

"WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?"

"IS NOTHING FAIR IN THIS CRUEL WORLD..."

"But I am going to grant your final wish..."

"about protecting our friends..."

"...and keeping you away from the dark..."

"And I'm guessing you wouldn't wanna see me cry about something this ironic... right?"


	3. I Remember

Jesse looked around to see if there were any people there to see them. Secretly, he walked out of the dorm carrying the lifeless Jaden on his back.

"Don't worry Jay, I will keep my promise, but first I have to get you to somewhere safe."

He ran through the winding forest in order to get to the Slifer Red Dorm. He slowly walked to Jaden's room, slowly lying him down on his bed and covering his eyes with a towel. Jesse shivered as he felt Jaden's skin, it was cold, and this made Jesse drop to his knees. He sniffed and cried like he never did before...

"Why..."

"...you didn't deserve this..."

"...I don't understand..."

He went out and slowly closed the door, it was almost sunrise, he went to the harbour, taking a good glimpse of the morning sun, from there, and he could hear several students shouting and screaming happiness for their freedom from the dark, as he stood there full of regrets and sadness.

"I know there's a way...

"I know there's a way for you to keep on living..."

"...Jaden..."

"...And I won't stop until I find my answer..."

"...Just like how the day ends the night..."

"...Just like how the sun overshadows the moon..."

"...I'll be the hope that runs over the dark..."

"I do remember the first time we met; I was a transfer student from Duel Academy North Campus. I couldn't find my way to the entrance; I ended up going round and round your school, when suddenly Ruby Carbuncle, my spirit friend, ran out from my card holder. I chased after her, and ended up being at the school roof top. Then that's when I saw you, Jaden."

"From then on, we've been close friends, we rammed through many obstacles, but got past every single one of them together with our friends, but you were always the one who finishes every."

"When I got trapped in that weird dimension with Yubel, you didn't hesitate to go after me, knowing the risks. Dueled every one of Brron's minions and then dueled him yourself just to get an answer on my whereabouts. You lost our friends in the process and he told you that I was gone, was left by Syrus and the others; feeling all alone and depressed."

"You then turned into everyone's nightmare, the Supreme King. But by the same people you got saved."

"You then tried to confront Yubel, and saved me and everyone else, returning us back to the original dimension we all came from."

"But darkness came and this happened, I feel so useless, so Jaden..."

"...tell me what should I do now?"


	4. Temptation of Darkness

A teardrop fell down from Jesse's cheek...

"I... I don't know what to do..."

"... If only there was a way to fix it..."

Suddenly, rumbling sounds were heard by Jesse alone. The sun has not rose yet but will too in a few minutes, a black whirlwind suddenly popped out of nowhere, only to know that it was...

"Darkness!" shouted Jesse

**"So we meet again crystal wielder..."**

"What'd you do to Jaden?"

**"Done? What have I done? It was merely a simple process for a new Jaden to be born..."**

"What do you mean?"

**"When a person dies, its memories gets cleared of, the exact same things that blocks people to see the truth. All of the things its heart gets wipe out too; memories, moments, and even the person's personality..."**

"If that's the case then right now he's..."

**"He's nothing more than an empty shell, a container waiting to be resurrected and reborn..."**

"And don't you lay a single finger on him!"

**"I know that I can't, your there, but what if I make a deal with you..."**

"No, I'm not listening to whatever your gonna say!"

**"A 'chance' is a thing that should be given to all, even enemies... it's a sign of respect..."**

"Tsk... Alright, I'm listening..."

**"Darkness is such an amazing power, it causes people pain, and it brings nothing but sadness and depression..."**

"Some 'amazingness' that was..."

**"And yet..."**

"Hmm? And yet what?"

**"... it could give life back to the long gone..."**

"? Seriously?"

**"Yes, now here's the deal, you give me Jaden, I resurrect him back to life and return him here at Duel Academy, how does that sound?'"**

"And how does that benefit you?"

**"I merely need complete information on Jaden to complete my research, after that his all yours..."**

"But I made a promise to him that..."

**"But don't you wanna see your best friend back to life? All happy and joyful, dueling with him day by day, sharing stories until you graduate?"**

"But..."

**"There is no need to rush; after all, I am quite considerate, I'll give you three days to decide, after that, on the following day, go back here, at the harbor, before sunrise, I'll be waiting to your uttermost response, Jesse Anderson..."**

The sun rose up and Darkness faded away, leaving Jesse speechless...

"What am I gonna do? Jaden I wanna see you here, beside me but..."


	5. Decision Part 1

Jesse's Decision: Day 1

"...And now you know what card effects affects you and your opponent as well..." said Dr. Vellian Crowler as he taught the class about card effects.

But Jesse was just too distracted to listen to the lecture. Every hour, minute and second, he would always think of his response to darkness.

"What should I say?"

"I want to see him but, breaking a promise would be-"

"Jesse!" shouted Dr. Crowler as he was trying to get his attention.

"Didn't you hear me? I said; give me an example of a card that affects the whole field besides field spells..."

"Umm... Gravity Bind...?"

"That is correct!" said Crowler as the bell rang for the sign of dismissal.

His friends thought that there was something wrong with him, Jesse. He would always make a fuss over his answers, like they were jokes; he would ignore and sleep the class, like Jaden, but why? Wasn't he the Jesse that they met before? There was something bothering him...

"It's obvious really, he's keeping a secret..." grumbled Chazz

"But shouldn't he tell us, I mean, were his friends aren't we?" wondered Alexis

"I don't get it but I think one of our troops need some time alone..." suggested Hassleberry

"He was like that since yesterday, the day that 'big bro' (meaning Jaden) defeated Darkness, could that have something to do with it?" asked the curious Syrus

"Let detective Chazz solve the case!"

"Oh will you keep your mouth shut sarge, you know you're no good at this stuff."

"Listen 'Huckleberry' 'The Chazz' already solved a case before, isn't that right Alexis, Syrus?"

"He's right, I hate to admit it but he did, back then when we fought the 'Shadow Rider' named 'Don Zaloog'."

"Yeah, big bro and I were mesmerized, but that was a case of 'stealing', how are you gonna make a friend admit what's on his mind?"

"'The Chazz' says we need clues..."

"Clues, what are you talking about, speak up private?"

"Every case has clues, Jesse's must have seen something, and we need to see that too, and we start by finding clues…"

"Okay! Chazz, what you said actually made sense!"

"Ahh, a praise coming from my dear Alexis…"

"You better shut up before I take back everything I said…"

"Erm… okay…!"

And so they headed out of their classroom…

"The big event yesterday was the banishing of 'Darkness' right? And I suppose that would be the academy main gate…"

"Good idea Syrus!"

Running down the hallways in search of clues, they headed out of Duel Academy, wandering around, searching for clues…

"Hey guys, look what I've found!"

"What is it private Alexis?"

"Look! Isn't the…"

"Polymerization? Isn't this big bro's…?"

"Jaden would never misplace his cards; he cares for them too much…"

"Private Chazz is right, for once!"

"For once? You watch your mouth if you know what's good for ya..."

"Are you trying to pick up a fight soldier?"

"Boys are so immature... look, if you guys want anything done, stop your fighting and let's head to the red dorm, there, is where Jaden usually stays, let's ask him about what happened and why he had left his cards uncared for..."

"C'mon, I'm so worried; we have to go to big bro..."

"Tsk, fine, but I'm not done with you yet 'Huckleberry'"

"You talk too much private..."

Running through the forest towards Slifer Red Dorm, they...

"Now look at what you've done soldier! Now we're back to where we started!"

"It's not like it's my fault..."

"Zip it Chazz, it's getting dark, let's go back, we could ask him tomorrow..."

"Alexis is right... even I don't like the dark..."

Meanwhile in Slifer Red, in a locked room where Jaden and Jesse lies...

"Jaden, tomorrow's gonna be day two until my final decision... and I..."

"I haven't even made up my mind yet..."


	6. Decision Part 2

Saturday night, Chazz was staring at the ceiling, waiting for his eyes to shut. But for some reason, they won't…

"What's going on?" he murmured "Why can't I sleep?"

"Shouldn't I be happy that Jaden's not around? I mean c'mon, wouldn't I be number one now?"

"I... I just don't get it..."

He got his deck and looked at his cards, first he saw 'Hell Soldier'

"Heh, I remember when I used this card on the slacker... It was out first duel, back when we were still a freshman at exactly 12 o' clock midnight..." :Alexis just told me, what really happened..."

_Chazz: What are you talking about it's over isn't it?_

Jaden: We'll just see about that, it is my turn right?

Chazz: Heh, a duel is decided with 99% intelligence, luck only takes up a mere 1%

Jaden: Then I'll just have to bet everything on that 1% won't I? My turn, draw! *great... I activate 'Monster Reborn' and bring back 'Flame Wingman', now go, flame shoot!

"That was the outcome of the duel right? If only we hadn't been disturbed..."  
And Chazz drew another card, this time; this was 'Front line Base'

"And if I was not mistaken, this was the only card left on my field on our last turn of the practical exams..."

_Jaden: Chazz! We both have 1000 life points left; wouldn't it be fun if I drew a monster with 1000 or more attack points?_

Chazz: That's impossible!

Jaden: We'll see about that, draw! I summon 'Avian'! Now attack!

"We've dueled many times, from my revival duel to many more, now; I think that I want him back. In all our duels, I never won once, he's my rival... I hope we find our answer, I still wonder why, it's been two days and I haven't seen him since..."

"How about I try and visit Jesse, he knows what to do."

Chazz then walked to his room and knocked at the door...

"Hello...?"

There was no answer as he slowly opened the door, there wasn't anyone there; he sighed as he went to his balcony and decided to take in fresh air. Just then, he saw a foreign figure running towards Slifer Red dorm.

He became suspicious as he followed the mysterious person; he caught up to him and tapped his shoulder... "You are...?"


	7. Doubt

The boy turned to him, looking puzzled. But then he turned his back and kept on running, Chazz went to chase him to the Slifer red dorm. He could hear the door being locked as he pouted in suspicion.

"Jesse Anderson, can you hear me? I know you can, get out of there so we could talk!" Chazz shouted in anger.

"NO!" replied a voice from inside.

"We're friends aren't we? Why are you hiding from us? C'mon, we trust each other right, for Jaden?"

Jesse was stoked in fear hearing the name of 'him'; he slowly unlocked the door and took a peek outside. "Cha—Chazz, would you mind coming in inside" he said as he lifelessly waved his right arm and taunted Chazz to go in.

"Before I go in, I want some explanations!"

"Everything will be EXPLAINED when you go in..."

"Tsk... Fine, I better have my answers..."

As he was about to go in, Jesse stopped him, "You must promise me one thing, you won't tell anyone about what will you see..."

"Ok, ok, I promise... sheesh..."

Chazz slowly opened the wooden door to his surprise...


	8. To My Surprise

He slammed to door shut and ran towards the bed at the middle...

"No, this can't be happening, it's a lie right?" Chazz said about to cry... "Prove me wrong Anderson!"

"But how can I prove you wrong, when it's already in front of you! Answer me, Princeton!"

Chazz sat there, stiff as a statue, stunned as he doesn't know how to react..."

"I got swore to be your greatest rival; I told myself that I would consider myself, after all these wins, a true duelist when I can't beat you in our duel, but how, can I, when you're 'there'. Now, how can I say that I'm a duelist now when you're... when you're..."

"How dare you, leave me, with Syrus and the others here, didn't you think about what will happen to the academy when you're not here? I mean, six months, our graduation is nearing and you... you..."

Jesse frowned as he saw himself in Chazz; the time when he first saw it... he pitied himself and his friend, a tear rolled down his cheeks as he made his final decision on his answer...


	9. Sunrise

It was Sunday dawn; Chazz didn't sleep nor leave the dorm after he had heard the bad news.

"I'm leaving him to you for a while, I have somewhere to go to..." said Jesse, touching the door knob.

Chazz frowned; he looked at him with "What could be more important than being here?"  
"Oh, it's something important all right..." turning back on Chazz

"Fine, don't go dozing off too long..." he said with a rather annoyed look "I can't have all the looking job..."

"Fine, it won't take long." Closing the door

Before heading to the harbor, he accidentally bumped with Alexis; who's currently, starring at the sky waiting for the sun to rise.

"What are you doing here?" as she sighed "I thought you were gone missing and Chazz told me that he would look for you."

"It seems that he already found me, and you? What are YOU doing here?" looking at Alexis

"I am always here every time I feel that something bad is gonna happen or if I need to straighten things up." She pointed at the sun rising up "That sun gives me hope in times like this, it's like telling me what to do..."

"What you have to do huh...?" looking at the sun "Nice talking to you Alexis... but... I have to go..."

"And where might that be?" curiously looking at his face

"Nowhere... walking around I guess" he said seemingly laughing _"No one needs to know about this..."_ he murmured.

"Alright off you go, at least I know that something's not wrong with you..."

And with a wave goodbye, Jesse cried.


	10. Distractions

He looked at his watch; 5:49 am, he can't let anyone disturb him anymore, so he ran as fast as he could as he bumped into someone.

"Ouch!"

"I'm very sorry..." rubbing his head

"No—no, it's fine... you better watch your step soldier." the boy replied as he looked at him "Jesse?"

"Hassleberry, why are you up this early?" as he stood up dusting off his jacket.

"I always do a jog every morning, I just wish the sarge were here, he would run with me no matter how early..."

And that's when it hit him "I have to go..." he said running

Hassleberry looked at him suspiciously as he continued with his training.

_"No more distractions, I have to GO"_ he said closing his eyes, as he was a few meters away from the harbor, he noticed a foreign shadow following him, he stopped and the shadow disappeared.

"Who are you and why are you following me?" he shouted. And from behind a tree, a small boy revealed himself "I—could feel that, you're hiding something from us, spe—speak up!" the boy shouted in determination.

"Sy—Syrus..." Jesse stroked in fear "Is... that... you?

"I—know you're hiding something... I know that... you know... where... big bro is..."


	11. The Time We

"Sy—Syrus... I..." Jesse was stunned didn't know what to say _"I can't run off with him trailing on my back, I just can't..."_

"You what...?" said Syrus waiting for an answer.

"Well I..." starting to look away from the rather innocent eyes of the young boy _"Jay... what would you do... in my place...?"_ then suddenly a flashback hit him...

_~Jesse's POV: the flashback~_

"This was the time of decisions..." I told myself. What are we _**EVER**__ gonna do, look, there are duel zombies __**EVERYWHERE**__ and we're running out of food, we're trapped in this creepy dimension, and Crowler's got himself tight sitting on that chair of his; like he's got any problems like we do..._

Jaden was off fixing his deck (as always) and so I sat next to him, like there was anything _**ELSE**__ I could do anyway. "You seem calmed, what keeping that smile on your face?" I asked_

"I excitement that's keeping us from this dimension I guess..." he replied with a bright smile.

"Don't you wanna go back? You know, what about your family, they're probably missing you right now after they heard you were trapped in this weird dimension." I asked in curiosity.

I always wanted to know what his family was like, but for some reason he won't respond

"What's the problem?" as I finally got the courage to speak.


	12. Trust

_"Well... it's just..." you could see in his eyes that he was pretty much hiding something_

"Could we change the topic instead...?"As he asked back

At first I didn't understand why would he want to hide, I mean why would he? Family is the first thing you wanna see, right...?

"This isn't like you, keeping secrets won't do you any good, and you should at least tell them to someone you can trust or they'll be a burden to you..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said that this stuff were a burden to me..." he said focusing his attention back to his deck.

"If they weren't why wouldn't you tell me...?" I asked with a stern face.

~End of flashback and POV~

"If you're not REALLY hiding something, why wouldn't you tell me...?" Syrus said looking straight at Jesse's eyes.

_"If this really was like Jay's situation that before then..."_ he smiled "Can I trust you with this?" he finally said the same thing his friend told him.

Syrus cooled off the tough act "Of... of course..." he said shivering

"Now isn't that the Syrus I knew..." he said pointing at the direction of Slifer Red Dorm "You wanna find him, yes? You remember Jaden's dorm, knock and say 'Jesse told me to go here' and someone will open it for you, understand?"

"Um... thanks" and Syrus ran off "Oh and Jesse, thanks, for trusting me" as he waved goodbye.

"Now back to business..." he said running to the harbor.


	13. A Conclusion

A time of trial, a time of decision, a time of trust, this were this things he discovered by simply running towards the harbor and alas, finally, his destination... has been reached.

Darkness seems to be nowhere in sight yet, as he leaned by the lighthouse still half asleep. "I wonder if I passed all of the trials, made the right decision or trusted them enough" he sighed as he looked at the rising sun just as Alexis told him.

"Do I really have to do this?"

Lost in thought, a gust of wind appeared and a shadow arrived **"Well... will you allow me to take him with me and stay alive...?"**

with a little courage, he stood up but looked down... his legs were shaking and his hands were as cold as ice...

Finally he got his strength back, gulped at first, then he took a deep breath; he looked straight at his eyes and replied...

"Yes..."


	14. Disappearance

**"Well..."** the enemy said smirking, **"... a rightful choice indeed..."** he continued as he slowly disappeared.

Jesse fell on his back at the side of he lighthouse, he could have sworn that he made a promise to his friend that he never kept; he burst into tears; blaming himself for the decision he has made, "Was it really a rightful choice...?"

Meanwhile back in the Slifer Red dorm, Chazz was looking at his own deck, trying to recall memories, a gust of wind suddenly appeared, he closed his eyes; trying to open them as he couldn't. The wind finally stopped as he slowly opened them; his eyes, to his own surprise, "It's... gone...?"

He searched here and there but _it_ was nowhere to be found. He was planning on reaching the doorknob, when somebody opened it for him, a sweat rolled down his face as a small boy looked at him, "Syrus, is that you?"

At first he was hesitant to even speak to him but after a couple of seconds, "J- Jesse told me to come here... um... are you... the one I'm suppose to meet...?"

Chazz was stunned, no, more like frightened, "How could Jesse tell him to come here?" he said, trying to avoid eye contact "That idiot..."

"Um... Chazz...?" Syrus said looking down "Are suppose to tell me something?"

"Before I do, where is that idiot who told you to come here?" he said, frustrated "'Cuz if you wont tell me, I'll barge out myself."

"I honestly don't know where he is, nor why did he tell me to come here, but, whatever you say, I'll tell you that, yes he can be trusted, but I'm sure he's hiding somewhere else..." talking with the determination, "I'm pretty sure he was heading towards the harbor before I left him..." he continued

"The harbor, eh?" Chazz said thinking, "Come to think of it, he DID try to say something about saving _him_..."

"Save who now?" Syrus replied, looking confused.

"Um... you'll know when you ask him yourself..." Chazz replied in a hurry as Syrus nodded and ran towards the harbor.

Little they know that from a distance, they were heard by someone else; who decided to follow them.


	15. Somewhere in Infinite Darkness

Meanwhile, in a place where there's no light; a place if infinite darkness, a boy in Red is seen, tied flat to a room with no wall as a voice was heard.

**"Ah Jaden Yuki, a rare find indeed"** a shadow said, smirking, examining him **"I never would have thought that a day would come where I finally get to see the destruction of this foul world you call earth."**

"But why take him when you have _me_?" as another shadow descended "I could do what you want with my hands tied behind my back" he continued.

**"SILENCE! This is none of your business!"** the shadow shouted "...and besides, how could I let an opportunity like this pass? Unless of course, you can prove to me that you can do it without any help from this man..."

"Prove? Hah, you'll see, we won't even need him!" as one shadow disappeared.

_**"Then again, I, for once know that he can't do it, well, for as long as that Crystal Beast User is still there, but for him to be so foolish... though, I wasn't joking about bringing this man back to life..."**_

Suddenly, the boy slowly opened his eyes, it appeared blank at first as he looked at the foreign shadow "Wh-who are you?"


	16. My Name Is

Meanwhile at the harbor, Jesse was still leaning beside the light when, from a sight, he could see a young boy in a, rather, awkward uniform.

"Excuse me..." the mysterious boy asked "Might this be Duel Academy...?"

Jesse looked at him in confusion "Yes... and you are...?"

"Oh don't worry about me, I'm just passing by..." he replied

_"To pass by? What a lame excuse, we're in the middle of the ocean..."_ he thought to himself "No, seriously, who are you...?"

"Well you got me there, hi, I'm Toshiro, but you can call me Toshi, I was thinking of transferring at this academy!" he said, excited.

"Well, you seem excited..." Jesse acted, seemingly happy.

"Why of course! Who wouldn't? New duelists and more duels to be in! Who wouldn't be excited?"

"Heh, you just reminded me of someone I know..." commented Jesse as the mysterious boy smirked in an instant.

Back in the Dark Realm...

**"Before you may ask that obvious question, would you possibly know who **_**you**_** are yourself?"** Darkness smirked as the black fog became thicker and thicker **"Don't you think it's just rude to ask before you introduce?"**

"Oh yeah, that's... right... I'm..." said Jaden, starring at himself in confusion "I'm..."

**"Go on..."** Darkness insisted.

"I'm..." was Jaden's last words before he fell into another coma

**"I knew it..."** creating a shadow that seemed to be like a small in which he could see his companion's actions **"I just knew that if a person dies, his body shall become an empty shell, ready for rebuilding, in other words, dying eats the humans' memories."**


	17. The Possibility

"So why do _you_ look so glum?" as a question came out of Toshiro's mouth "It wouldn't hurt for me to know."

"You see... you can't..." with Jesse explaining matters to him,

"And why...?" as suddenly...

_Jesse's POV_

"Jesse you idiot! Where are you?" shouted a rather familiar voice, you could see from not too far, two people running towards my direction. Of course the response everyone has in mind in this situation to shout and wave but most unfortunately, not for me.

I was planning on hiding somewhere, to cover up for the mistake I just did, as I was deceiving my friends into not telling them the whole truth.

They say that every witness has their own version of the _truth_, but, in this case, I was the only witness for I kept it, I have the version of _my_ truth on what just happened, there was a 70% probability that Darkness was lying, what choice did I have but to accept it, I couldn't afford seeing anyone, especially _him_ like that.

At first I never knew that Chazz was following, I didn't care about my surroundings, I just wanted to go back at Slifer Red, but that carelessness lead a secret out and as for Syrus, he would have kept following me if I didn't say something to him, he may think that I just trusted the whole truth to him, but in fact, it was only a part, I'm sure he's already seen _him_ lying down.

I kept that 30% percent to myself, hoping that this would all workout, for that instance I trusted myself, but, the problem now is the aftermath. He may say the he just resurrects him and examines him, that when I go back to the dorm, he'll be there, eating Fried Shrimp, examining his deck, dueling, but, seeing the two witnesses running towards me; means a bad news, but whatever they say, it was my decision and that I wish that 30% would eventually come true.

And this Toshiro guy, who is he?

But I didn't have time to hide; I stood up from where I was seated and faced them,

"What's up Chazz, any news?"

_End of POV_


	18. News

"New bad news I'm afraid..." Chazz said, panting "... but I don't think it's new to _you_."

"I still don't get what's going on here..." replied Syrus "I really don't know..." scratching his head.

"Hm...? You mean he still doesn't know...?" asked the astonished Jesse "... but I thought you-" the message was halted by Chazz, trying to cover his mouth, trying to shook his head while waving his palm.

_"Idiot, I thought this was suppose to be a secret..."_ Chazz murmured to himself

"It's written all over you faces, guys, I could totally see it..." as Syrus pouted waiting for an answer.

"It-it's really nothing at all, promise!" denied the two.

Syrus was still suspecting them when he saw a boy standing beside them, he looked quite suspicious to him, but, of course, nobody would believe even when he had told them. "Um... I hate to be rude but, who exactly are you...?" as he finally got the courage to ask.

"Toshiro."

"Wha-what...?" as Syrus was too slow to understand.

"It's his name stupid!" as Chazz let go of Jesse's mouth, with him gasping for air while sticking his tongue out, "When was the last time you washed you hands Princeton?" with Jesse spitting saliva.

"Good question, but NOT a good one right now! Now 'Toshiro' who are you and why are you here?" as Chazz pointed his finger at him, "You seem really suspicious to me."

"I'm just here to visit the academy before I can enroll, the only reason I went here is to return this," he pulled out a card from his pocket "I saw you running and dropped it, Jesse.

"A-A card, but I left my deck at the dorm, I don't remember bringing this-" Jesse took the card and took a good look at it "But this is..."

"Well I gotta go, See ya!" as he ran to the forest.

"Weird guy..." Syrus suspected "But now that I think of it, I felt that someone was following us here, could it be him?" he whispered.

"No, not at all" as Chazz whispered back, it wasn't him, there was someone else" looking at a distance "Yep, he's still there... hey Jesse, what do you think should we do about that stalker?"

With Jesse focusing his attention to the card his holding, having not even the slightest care to the world.


	19. Secret Motive?

"Um, earth to Jesse..." insisted Syrus "You there...?"

"Uh... yeah, yes I suppose..." seemingly hearing out Syrus focusing his attention back to the card "What is it, Alexis? Hassleberry?"

"Lexi? She's here? Where?" said Chazz looking around "You better be serious because I do take these statements very seriously..."

"You were talking about people following you, yes? no?" Jesse pointed east.

"Hassleberry, I'm blaming you for getting us caught..." as Alexis stood up "C'mon, no use hiding, Jesse's instincts are almost as good as Jaden's..."

"Yeah, um... the sarge right...?" as Hassleberry dusted himself

"What the hell, YOU doing here Huckleberry?" insulted Chazz

"What? You got some nerve talking like that to me!" Hassleberry stomped his feet

"Will you two just shut up!" Alexis crossed her arms "I'm sick and tired of you two fighting, as for you Jesse, now that the whole 'gang' is here, you better start talking."

At first Jesse couldn't say a word, soon he started to run as fast as he could, Chazz and the others followed him but soon lost him on sight, the fog was too thick, while Jesse soon hid in a cave that only he and Jaden knew about, they used to duel there as to no distractions.

From a distance you could see, a foreign figure walking towards his direction, he panicked, he had no where else to go, but, when the figure was a few meters away from him. He stopped, and took a good look at him, it was that guy named Toshiro.


	20. It Was You!

Suddenly, the fog thickened, Jesse could only see a foreign shadow and so he crept closer and carefully starred at him; a large distortion suddenly emerged, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew and a huge light engulfed him, Jesse closed his eyes for a while but opened then as soon as possible "This is like that time me and Jaden were dueling Yubel, a light engulfed Yubel and I... and then..."

He slowly opened his eyes, to take a good look at the surroundings, for some reason, there wasn't anything there but a crooked looking road, in which Toshiro walked on as well "Now what would he be doing in a place like this, I'm pretty sure this isn't Duel Academy anymore..." murmured Jesse.

He had no choice but to follow him, what else could he have done...?

He was walking for about an hour, "What the- how long is this exactly? he said, trying to think "I sure that whatever is at the end of this, won't be anything good..."

Finally, he could see something up ahead, "Is that suppose to be the exit?" Jesse panted "...I really hope so..."

He picked up the pace and ran, but didn't go inside, he might blow his cover, he only took a peek on what's happening inside.

**"You fool!"** a shadow shouted **"You worthless piece of trash!"**

"And what does that suppose to mean...?" Toshiro moaned "What did I do...?"

**"I no longer have any use for the likes of you!"** the shadow stretched his hand out as smaller shadows that looked like souls appeared from below.

"Wha-what...?" the soul like shadows devoured him, until there was no trace.

Jesse could only close his eyes from afar, he couldn't bear the sight of seeing something like that...

**"That no good pawn, why did I even permission to send him to earth, now he's brought some company, as I expected, who else would have followed that mortal but a mortal himself, quit hiding there and come out, Jesse Anderson."**


	21. Could It Be?

"Who would have thought that after all this; all this problems, questions and even confusions, you were behind it... Darkness..." as Jesse came out of the dark shadows he was hiding "... and don't try and hide the fact that you had something to do with _him_."

Silence filled the small looking, but wide chamber. It never lasted long "I just knew you had something to do with _him_; the guys who introduced me to this school, the guy who defeated Viper and got us out from another dimension, twice! The guy who saved me from Yubel and dueled her, from our sake! The very same one who defeated YOU and the very same person you killed, my best friend, Jaden Yuki!" Jesse shouted from the top of his lungs "And... now... you're gonna give him back!" he continued, activating his duel disk.

**"So you wanna go through this with a duel, eh? But I have no time for that; I have to go back to cure the very person that will rid this world of its filthiness. You might wanna take a good look at this..."** he proposed

"You're calling us filth, but have you ever considered yourself?" Darkness slowly walked away; Jesse followed him to a room where all of the tainted cards used to be. At the very center, he could see a big, cylinder like tube, that's filled with water; tainted black. He looked at it very closely, as he saw a figure of a human being.

"Wait!" exclaimed Jesse "Brown hair, red uniform, black undershirt, navy blue pants, could it be...?"


	22. All Thanks To You

**"Yes, just as you thought, it is indeed him..."** as Darkness slowly appeared behind Jesse **"I have reasons why I brought you here, and believe me, you won't live long enough to tell your petty little friends about this..."** he continued

At first, Jesse was in a state of a shock, not knowing what it was for; Darkness or Jaden. He didn't really care, just wanted to break the glass the boy was in, take him and get out of there. Too late to know, the exit was out of sight, he had been trapped in a dark room where the sunlight doesn't reach; where tiniest speck of light won't survive, yes this is indeed the Realm of Darkness.

He didn't know much about this place, except when Jaden tried to describe it: _back in the other dimension when he used Super Polymerization to fuse his spirit with Yubel's. He thought that he was going to die during that time while he was alone; in a dark place where nothing could be seen, where nothing could be felt except his own air; breathing. He had lost the ability to move, or even speak a single word, he was too tired to; but he was prepared to die._

Just then; he heard a voice: "Not now..." the voice had said "... not yet, it's not yet the time, there's still something you must do". Jaden still couldn't move, but he knew what to do. He used his remaining strength to nod at the mysterious voice who called him that day. He was fallen down to our world, in a form of a meteorite, and when he fell, the first person he saw was, Syrus.

"Yeah, that's it..." Jesse murmured "This is the place he was talking about, and I'm guessing the thing he still needed to do is..."

**"Erase me from existence?"** Darkness heard the few he said, making the conclusion for him, for he knew, that someone would indeed stop him, **"Jaden wasn't only made to stop me... it depends on let's say... the situation..."**

"The situation?" Jesse asked clutching his fist as if realizing it's his fault

**"Well now that's he's with me... he could just be the very one that would help me with my plans... all thanks to you."**


	23. A Broken Promise

"A—All thanks to me, you mean to say, it's my fault?" Jesse shivering in fright

"**Pretty much, Jaden Yuki predicted that something like this would happen so he set you a reminder; did he not?"** Darkness smirked with a mix of different emotions: satisfaction, delight, joy, pity, anger and others

"He set me a reminder?" and that's when _it_ hit him

_When the two of them were in the abandoned dorm, after Winged Kuriboh led him there, he saw Jaden with his hand clutched on his right chest filled with crimson-thick kind of liquid: blood._

_"This is the old dorm of Obelisk Blue right?"_

"Why did you bring me here Kuriboh?"

Kuriboh went floating inside, Jesse followed as different question were circling his mind like: "Where's Jaden?" "Why did Kuriboh bring me here?" "Does it have to do anything with Jaden's disappearance?" "What happen to darkness?"

These things began to come to him, he snapped out of his confusion when he saw a person lying at the middle of the underground, he rush in to see who it was. To Jesse's surprise, it was Jaden. He was covered in blood; he felt that he was still breathing as he saw a large hole on his left chest.

"Don't worry Jay, stay strong and I'll get you to Ms. Fontaine so that we could bring you to a hospital!"

Just then, a voice is heard. It was a soft, timid voice of a man. It was Jaden's.

"Don't worry about me Jess, I'm okay, Darkness *cough* cheated on his duel *cough* and now here I am, *cough* we can never make it, I'm sorry…"

"No! Don't say that! We WILL make it! I'm sure!"

"No Jesse *cough* I insist *cough* don't..."

"But Jaden..."

"Jesse if you really *cough* wanna do a favor for me, *cough* protect me from darkness..."

"What's the point Jaden...? Why do I need to do this...?"

"He is *cough* plotting something bad *cough* but I'm guessing that *cough* he will be needing me, my power... and when I'm gone... I want you... to make sure all our friends are safe..."

"Jaden, stop it don't say another word, you WON"T die and you WILL survive..."

"I'm sorry..."

"... I just ..."

"...can't..."

"NO JADEN!"

Jaden gave his final breath... and Jesse cried...

"WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?"

"IS NOTHING FAIR IN THIS CRUEL WORLD..."

"But I am going to grant your final wish..."

"…about protecting our friends..."

"...and keeping you away from the dark..."

"And I'm guessing you wouldn't wanna see me cry about something this ironic... right?"

"**You just broke you're one and only promise,"** as Darkness snapped Jesse back to reality

"But… I…" Jesse couldn't say the words he wanted to say. He knew Darkness was right. It was his fault all along "How would _you_ know what happened that time?"

"**I have my ways, now; about that duel… shall we get started?"**


	24. Alluring Darkness

With a faint nod and downcast eyes, Jesse activated his duel disk, with his eyes set on getting out of there... with Jaden, of course.

With a wide smirk, five dark wings appeared from behind darkness, **"Ready?"**

"I swear that I'm getting out of here with my best friend! Count on it!" as his downcast eyes turned into sparks of determination, "I'll go first! Draw!" He drew his card; "I summon _Emerald Tortoise_ in defense position," as a tortoise with an emerald shell appeared.

"Je- Jesse, what is this place?" the turtle asked

"It's the place we're gonna get out of!" he replied "I place two face down and end my turn."

**"By the tone of your voice, it seems that you want to get out of here as soon as possible, am I correct?"** Darkness asked in a mono-toned voice **"That's not gonna happen, my turn, I draw,"** as a black tainted card appeared on his right hand, **"I summon Darkness Eye"** as a small monster with an eye as a head appeared. **"I now activate the **_**Darkness**_** field spell card, this card allows me to set five cards from my hand to deck."**

"Five set cards? What are you up to?" asked Jesse

"Careful," Tortoise warned, "Those things aren't just for show."

"Got it," as he nodded

**"You'll now witness firsthand what Jaden Yuki had to go through!"**

"You don't scare me with your petty words, my turn, I draw!" with four cards in hand, he raises one up, "I activate the spell card _Graceful Charity_, this allows me to draw three cards and send two to the grave." he drew three, taking _Rare Value_ and sending _Cobalt Eagle_ and _Amber Mammoth_ to the graveyard "I summon _Sapphire Pegasus_ in attack mode," as a white kind of horse appeared with a horn and wings with a hint of Sapphire Crystals. "I activate his effect: when he's summoned to the field, I can call a Crystal Beast to my spell and trap card zone and I chose _Ruby Carbuncle_," and a Ruby shard appeared on the field "I attack your eye with Pegasus!"

**"Not so fast,"** said Darkness **"I activate Zero and Infinity"** he said pointing at two cards in the first and fourth card zone **"I activate the two cards in between; activating Darkness 1, for each 'Darkness' card activated, I can destroy one card my opponent controls and I'm counting two, so I destroy Pegasus and Tortoise."**

"Not really," objected Jesse "They'll get sent to the spell and trap card zone," he continued as a shard of Sapphire and Emerald appeared.

**"Not bad, but not good enough, apparently."**


	25. First Turn Horrors

"We'll see, I end!" shouted Jesse, clutching his fist "You may never know how a duel ends until it's all over!"

**"Hmm... since your turn has ended, all the set cards on my field will now be randomly be set face down,**" Darkness said sarcastically, looking at his hand.

"Random you say?" Jesse said, pointing his index finger at Darkness "Then how come _you_ know how to pin point _Zero_ and _Infinity_?"

**"Darkness Eye's effect lets me..."**

_"I have to find a way to get rid of that thing,"_ Jesse murmured to himself "Before your draw phase, I activate my face down! Crystal Raigeki, sacrificing my emerald to destroy your eye!" a bolt of lightning then appeared out of the card and headed strait for the monster, completely destroying it.

**"No matter, I think Lady Luck is on my side, because I have a hand greater than yours, I'm afraid, my turn! Draw!"** he continued, peeking at the card he drew.

**"I activate **_**Monster Reborn**_** to bring back my eye!"** as _Darkness Eye_ returned to the field. **"So much for your efforts..."**

"Great... just what I needed..." Jesse rolled his eyes

**"I now activate **_**Fiend's Sanctuary**_**,"** as a small fiend like statue appeared on the field **"I now sacrifice both monsters on my field to summon **_**Darkness Bramble**_**, I told you, luck is on **_**my**_** side, as long as I have this monster on the field, my life points go back to 4000 during every end phase, plus, I get to check my set cards, I activate, **_**Zero**_** and **_**Infinity**_**,"** revealing two set cards in the 1st and 5th card zone.

"And at the worst possible position ever..."

**"It's the best... for me,"** as three more cards in between went into face up position. **"I activate **_**Darkness 3**_**, with its effect, I am able to deal you 1000 points of damage, for each Darkness card face up..."**

"Three... 3000 points of damage?"

**"Got that right,"** as a dark light aimed for Jesse left him with 1000 life points remaining. **"And don't forget my attack, you're finished!**" Jesse can't hold on. He fell on his knees with his left hand on his right arm.

"Not so fast I activate my other face down; _Negate Attack_, it negates all battle damage this turn!" said Jesse, trying to raise his right hand.

**"Look at you, you're barely holding up,"** as the set cards went back to their random positions.

"Not yet... not now, NEVER!" with Jesse twitching, he slowly stood up.


	26. Darkness Neosphere!

"And I'm going to guess that, _Darkness Bramble_ was never your ace?" said Jesse as he raised an eyebrow, as if predicting something.

**"Hmm... your sharp,"** Darkness answered back

"Am I ever, my turn!" as he peered at his drawn card, "Great! I activate _Double Summon_, this card allows me to normal summon twice this turn; come forth: _Amethyst Cat_ and _Topaz Tiger_," as a pink cat and a black and white tiger appeared on the field.

"This place seem to be surrounded be pure darkness," commented Tiger.

"I agree, let's get out of here as soon as we're done with _him_," cat mentioned, turning to Darkness

**"My, my, what naughty pets,"**

"Alright, I now activate the spell card _M-Force_,this adds 500 attack power to one of my crystal beasts, and I chose, _Topaz Tiger_!" as the attack of Tiger was raised to 2100.

**"I activate, **_**Zero**_** and **_**Infinity**_**,"** revealing two cards in the 3rd and 5th damage zone, **"Aww, just one card, but it will do, I activate **_**Darkness 1**_**, I destroy your Tiger!"**

"Don't forget his effect, sending him to my spell and trap card zone, and my Cat will atta-"

**"Don't ALSO forget that my monster restores my life points back to 4000 at every end phase,"** he reminded

"Tsk, I set a card and end my turn."

**"Aww, have you now run out of ideas?"** Darkness teased, **"Well, my set cards now go back to their randomly set position."**

"Yeah, random your face," Jesse answered back.

**"Someone has developed a nerve now, have we?"**

"Just make your move! Staying here wont do me ant good,"

**"Quite the impatient type now are we? Well anyway, I draw and tribute my **_**Bramble**_** and discard **_**Dark Archtype**_** to special summon, **_**Darkness Neosphere**_**!"**

"4000 attack points?"

"Yes and besides that, he also gets the effect of my _Bramble_, I can only special summon this by tributing and discarding one fiend-type monster each, and that also means, the set cards aren't random for me and my life points go back to 4000 during every end phase"./b

"No way, Jaden actually, defeated _you_ in this kind of situation?"

**"It may be hard to admit, but he did, but I doubt that you'll have to same outcome."**

"Well see, no, _you'll see_, I'll win this and get out of here with my best friend."


	27. A Time To Stall

**"As much as I want to end it all now, I think I can play with you a little bit, so I'll end my turn at that,"** stated Darkness.

"You'll regret ever letting me get my turn, draw!" Jesse peered at his hand, "Here it is! When all seven of my Crystal Beasts are in either my field or graveyard, I can summon this guy, c'mon ultimate gem lord, _Rainbow Dragon!_" he shouted as a big, white dragon appeared on the field with all seven gems attached to its side.

**"It has a mere 4000 attack power, the same as my monster, you wont damage me!"** said Darkness.

"Rainbow Dragon attacks!"

**"Foolish being, I activate, **_**Zero**_** and **_**Infinity**_**!"** as two cards in the 1st and 2nd trap card zone stood up, **"Eh?!"**

"Looks like there's nothing to activate, well, I have, my dragon's ability! I send my _Amethyst Cat_, my Sapphire, Topaz and Ruby gem to the graveyard, and for each gem beast, _Rainbow Dragon_ gets an extra 1000 attack points... and I count four...!"

**"I can't believe it, 8000 points?!"**

"Well you better, because it's already gonna happen, you're finished! Rainbow Refraction!" shouted Jesse as a beam of light emerged from _Rainbow Dragon's_ mouth, aiming at _Darkness Neosphere_ and putting Darkness' life points at 0. "Alright, I defeated you; _we're_ getting out of here!"

**"Heh heh, did you really think that just by beating me, you'll get out of here? I merely stalled time..."** as Darkness snapped his fingers and the casing that Jaden was in, opened, as he fell in Jesse's arms **"Well, I know you've been **_**dying**_** to see him, despite the fact that I would like to see you suffer, how could I spoil your moment?"** Darkness said sarcastically.

"Ugh..." a voice was heard as Jaden slowly opened his eyes and tried to stand on his own. His vision was a bit blurry as he looked at Jesse when his eyesight was still.

"Jaden!" Jesse shouted as Darkness smirked. "You don't know the troubles I went through just to get here!"

"You..." as Jaden put his hand on his forehead feeling hints of pain, "Who are you?"


	28. Lost For Words and Direction?

Jesse sweatdroped, "You're kidding right?" he asked. Trying to comprehend to what his friend just said.

"Does it look like I'm kidding? Seriously, who are you, and why does it seem that you know me...?" asked Jaden, pointing his index finger directly at Jesse. Darkness smirked.

"D-Don't you remember? It's me... Jesse Anderson!" he cried, looking at Darkness. "Any explanations?"

**"Just one, **_**dying resets one's memories**_**"** he replied. **"It's such a waste that he doesn't remember you..."** he continued, sarcastically.

"I knew it, I just knew that there would be a downside to this!" said Jesse as he clenched his fist.

**"If you knew then why did you say, **_**yes**_**?"**

"Well... that's because... when I saw Chazz crying that night... I..."

**"What lame excuses, you thought of your emotions, didn't you? You thought of how you felt, before thinking of the consequences..."**

Jaden glared at Jesse, "So... what do I do now?"

**"It wouldn't hurt to kill... but then again, it'd much better I **_**we**_** feed him to the hungry souls that devoured Toshiro, wouldn't you agree?"**

Jesse crossed his fingers as he remembered how the poor boy emitted his end; he was an innocent one who was just returning to come here, but because of one little mistake of leading him in here, he was instantly fed to those poor spirits, who would just eat in order for them to be satisfied, Jesse thought for a moment, he smiled a bit, "As if Jaden would agree to something like that... I mean he-"

"Sure, that sounds like a great idea," Jaden nodded as he stared at the boy with a serious look.

"But... why?"

Darkness laughed, **"Who said he wouldn't? I would like to entertain myself with this for a little while though... how about a duel?"**

"Is it really necessary?" asked Jaden, turning his attention back to Darkness

**"Oh, yes, after all, we still need to stall time for **_**that**_**,"**

"Right," said Jaden his attention back to Jesse, "Look I don't know who you are, or what you're up to, but, we duel!"

_"Darkness said that your memory has been reset, if that the effect of my foolishness? No, this no time to be blaming myself for that. Not now, I don't believe that you won't remember, I know it's just locked somewhere in your heart, if my words can't reach you, then maybe my dueling can,"_ murmured Jesse. "Alright, I accept!" he declared as they both activated their duel disks.

"DUEL!"

_Meanwhile, back at the academy..._

"Darn, where could he have gone?" asked an angry looking Chazz, "That sneak couldn't have gone anywhere! He doesn't know this place that much and besides, he's got no sense of direction!" he complained

"Which is why is hard to find him," said Alexis, as they continued walking. "Since he has no sense of direction, there's no telling where he ran off to!"

"Private Lexi is right," responded Hassleberry.

"Hey, what do you guys think that is...?" asked Syrus, as he pointed at a weird portal next to a tree.

"I don't know but it looks suspicious..." said Chazz, "We should go inside,"

"Wait!" cried Hassleberry, "Stop making rash decisions!" he exclaimed

"Then what do you suggest we do then?!" he asked in a really bad temper

"I say we go," said Alexis, "There's nowhere else to look..."

"As much as I'm scared... I have to agree..." said Syrus. Hassleberry sighed, and went on with the plan as they all went in the mysterious hole, with high expectations for something…


	29. What Lies Beneath?

**(A/N): Okay, so it's like this; the cards I'm using as Jaden's deck are not actual cards BUT they DID appear in the manga version of GX, but of course, he's not the one who owes it.**

The gang was wandering in a dark, lone space. It was a very different place compared to what Jesse walked through, but of course, they never knew that. Chazz was taking the uttermost lead, not because he knows the way, but because he has a feeling that something bad is gonna happening, no, something bad is happening.

"Are you guys sure we should be here?" asked Alexis. "Yes, I know we have to find him but, I doubt that he's here..."

"No, he has to be here, where else could we look?! He's probably dueling right now to save the whole world or something..." muttered Chazz.

-  
The realm was still silence, both duelist still at 4000 life points.

Jesse twitched, staring at his opponent's field, Jaden, he has three facedown, much to his wonder, it was already the fifth turn and all the stuff that he's been putting on his field are facedowns. _"This is bad, I've fallen to many traps already. I have to calm down... okay, he's using a deck I've never seen before, but his traps are just usually normal cards, like Negate Attack, Sakuretsu Armor, Mirror force and more, but thanks to that, I already have three crystal beasts in my graveyard and two in my spell and trap card zone... just two more and we're out of here..."_ he thought.

"Planning your move?" taunted Jaden

"As a matter of fact, I am! I summon _Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger_, I use him for a direct attack!"

"I activate a trap!"

"Again?!" exclaimed Jesse.

"_Prison Flame_! I remove one card from my hand and destroy the attacking monster!" declared Jaden, causing Tiger to be surrounded by reddish flames and destroying it.

"_This card... I've never seen it before..._ His effect allows him to be sent in my trap zone!"

"One more thing, you take damage equal to half on his original attack points!" The same flame engulfed Jesse, making him scream on the top of his lungs, much to Darkness' pleasure. It echoed throughout the place.

[Jesse's LP: 3200]

"I... actually felt that..." he continued, huffing. _"What's going on here?!"_

-

"Did you hear that?!" shouted Syrus.

"Hear what? Speak up private!" exclaimed Hassleberry.

"I heard... some sort of scream..." he replied, shivering a little.

"But I didn't hear anything..." said Alexis.

"Maybe because your just paranoid, scaredy cat!" cried Chazz

"Y-yeah, that's probably it..."

-

Jesse dusted off a bit. Jaden smirked at him. _"Is he enjoying this?"_ Jesse murmured. "Argh... I end my turn..."

"I draw and set two cards." stated Jaden.

"Facedowns again?!" said Jesse "I draw and summon out, _Cobalt Eagle_!"

Jaden tilted his head a bit in order to get a good view of the eagle flying around in the world of nothingness, he raised a brow, "Seven already?" he asked in an unamused tone of voice.

"Apparently yes, I special summon, _Rainbow Dragon!_" A large white dragon once again appeared with it's elegance and beauty; yellow ans blue streaks around it, seven gems perfectly attached on it side for a final glow.

-

Alexis pointed north, something was glowing, the warmth and brightness gave all of them one clue.

"Jesse's there isn't he..." commented Chazz.

"You and me, both." stated Hassleberry as they ran to that direction.


	30. Defeat The King And Not The Knight

**(A/N): *shamefully bows* Uh… I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while! I don't what came through me! Smack me now for my damn laziness anyway, we're almost at the end so we can't stop now! So about this chapter… ah, oh yeah, I've toggled with the effects of some traps and spells so don't bother searching their effects and go like: "Hey you got the effect wrong!" Okay, I meant for it to be wrong just for it to cope up with the story. Well, here you go, on to the chapter then!**

Jaden smirked at the situation: his monster zone was perfectly clean and literally untouched, the expression of his foe made him laugh but he barely showed it. "Your ace is already out this early?" he taunted, "Do you really want to end the duel that badly?"

"Answer your own question then," Jesse snapped. "But I'll guess we'll just have to talk later 'cuz here I come, Tiger and my dragon, attack!"

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not end this that easily, trap card activate! _Dark Mist_! By sending two dark monsters to the graveyard… I nullify the attack." He stated as the monsters simply went past him as if he was merely a hologram.

"Smart move. I guess losing your memory doesn't mean you lose your skill. I end my turn!"

"As you must, I draw," cried Jaden as he peered at the drawn card and smiled. "I set a card and end my turn."

Jesse tilted his head because of the same move that his opponent had been repeating for more than three turns already. "More set cards? I don't know if he's just playing tricks with me or is he having a little 'accident' with his hand but you'll regret letting me have my turn, draw!"

"Trust me, I don't."

"Alright friends, let's go for one more attack!"

Jaden chuckled, he couldn't help it. The statement was too stupid not to laugh at. "'Friends' you say?"

"Yes, 'friends',"

Jaden laughed and smirked at his opponent evilly, "You really ARE pathetic, aren't you? Who needs them when they don't even follow their own promises and the warning their companions give them!" he started shouting, giving of hints that he might actually be breaking.

"F—Follow whose promise, what warning? Jaden… are you…?"

"Just shut up and attack," he rolled his eyes obviously trying to avoid a clear eye contact with the teal-haired duelist. _"But then again, prolonging the fight is good too…"_

"Alright, I attack!"

He snapped his finger and smiled, "And that's my cue, I activate my trap! _Darklord Descends_!"

"What does that do you?"

"You nightmare, for half of my life points I get to summon two _Darklord_ monsters from my graveyard!" his graveyard zone on his duel disk began emitting black smoke that is only visible to some. Shadow covered his eyes, if you look closer, a sparkle can be seen, which Jesse didn't, he was too focused on looking at the creatures that might end his very existence.

(Jaden: 2000 LP)

"From your graveyard… but you didn't… wait… did you put them there-?"

"Yes, exactly, last turn when I activated that trap that stopped you from harming me."

Some part of Jaden's coat started to rip and blood somehow trickled down. This duel was feeding on their lives: the victor goes free and the loser gets sent to that realm. Jesse shock his head, trying to create a plan that may or may not work, either way it's better than standing there and waiting for someone's life to get taken.

The pain didn't even cause his friend to flinch; he was more than happy to take it if it means he'll get to see someone suffer in return. Taking half of your life is like taking half of your chance to live, losing 2000 points in one go is going to take a toll on him. This made Jesse eerie enough to just simply shut his eyes from the unpleasant occurrence.

As he closed his eyes, his mind drifted back to the good and bad times he had with his best friend, not to mention the other duel spirits around him. His mind dated to different scenes: the other dimension, the Dark World, the time he saw him again in Domino city. Hadn't they helped each other through all that? Because if they didn't they wouldn't be here right now.

He suddenly remembered a statement his parents had said to him once: _"When looking for someone, look not on the obstacle, but on the person you want to save."_

He finally had the courage to open his eyes, not to look at the black smoke emitting disk but on his beloved friend. He looked closer at him and tried to study if there was something wrong with him.

There was.

Something was making him sad.

A tear suddenly fell from the duelist; he knows that even he himself cannot do something to hurt a beloved, a person very important, a certain someone he'd risk his life for.

And he's pretty sure that Jaden can't too.

But why was he acting like this? He had no clue. Maybe somebody is forcing him to do it? Somebody forcing him to play clueless and sadistic…?

If so then he has to take down the king, not the knight.


End file.
